


Light my fire

by maevesdarling



Category: The Terror (TV 2018), The Terror - Dan Simmons
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Carnival, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fire, Implied Relationships, Minor Character Death, Minor Injuries, Open to Interpretation, Other, Rare Pairings, Short One Shot, Snippets, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 16:49:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21200930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maevesdarling/pseuds/maevesdarling
Summary: (...)When the flood of men dressed in colourful costumes parted and revealed a dripping wet doctor Stanley with a torch in his hand, all doctor MacDonald could do was gasp in horror at the sight.Captain Crozier pointed towards the Erebus doctor with a look of utter disbelief on his face. "Hold him! Hold him!" He screamed vehemently, pointing towards the man who was lowering the torch towards his body. Alexanders breath stopped. (...)





	Light my fire

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what inspired this fic but I thought I'd give my usual fics a small break to get this off my chest. I always wondered what would have happened if at least one of the doctors survived (and let's face it MacDonald deserved to be one of the last man standing we were robbed!!!!) Also, since he survives, doctor Peddie takes his place and gets sliced up like a piece of ham by Hickey I don't make the rules.
> 
> You can read this as MacDonald/Stanley if you want, I know it's a rare pair so I was trying to write it so that you'll enjoy it whether you ship it or not. Enjoy!

When the flood of men dressed in colourful costumes parted and revealed a dripping wet doctor Stanley with a torch in his hand, all doctor MacDonald could do was gasp in horror at the sight.

Captain Crozier pointed towards the Erebus doctor with a look of utter disbelief on his face. "Hold him! Hold him!" He screamed vehemently, pointing towards the man who was lowering the torch towards his body. Alexanders breath stopped.

He needed to stop this. _He couldn't loose Stephan_!

Before he had realized it he was in front of the other man, his hands outstretched, almost as if he was trying to calm a wild animal. So close, he could feel the heat the torch was emitting. "Stephan, what are you doing?" He asked softly, inching closer and closer.

The shrill screaming of his shipmates grew more and more distant as he focused on the task at hand. The smell of fire burned in his nostrils.

"It doesn't matter, we're all going to die anyway. I- don't you see? I'm doing the crew a favor!" He said loudly, waving the torch around. Alexander stopped abruptly in his tracks. He was now face to face with the other man and when he moved, some liquid trickled on the Terror's assistant surgeons face.

"Stephan, please." They stared into each other's eyes, waiting for the other to move to do something, anything. "Please don't-"

Alexander pleaded again, much more softly this time. One of his hands found the other man's and he gently took it into his own. "We can still figure something out. You need to keep your faith-"

"I can't!" Stanley cried. The torch started shaking in his hand. Crozier, who was approaching the doctor from his unprotected sides, sensed that he was about to drop it and took it from the surgeon in one swift motion. Then, two marines wrestled him to the ground.

"Careful!" MacDonald remarked, when one of them shoved Stanley in the middle of the room, Alexander hadn't noticed but the entire building the men had created over the past few days was burning. He followed Stanley and the two marines, staying close by the other doctors side. "He's in shock, he never intended to hurt anyo-"

Before he could finish the sentence, a man grabbed his ankle. He hadn't even realized how fast the fire was spreading from room to room, by now the roof was collapsing on top of their heads. The poor man on the ground was partially buried underneath some burning wood, his cheap costume acted as fuel for the fire and before he could help him, the man was fully engulfed in the flames. His screams echoed through the room where dozens of other men shared his fate.

"Doctor!" Crozier, who had a watchful eye on Stanley was grabbing him by the shoulders and pulled him towards the rest of the group. "The kitchen! Through the kitchen!" Someone yelled and the men moved.

Others split up to move into another corner of the room, his feet automatically carried him into that direction until he spotted Stephan's emotionless face amongst the other crowd and turned on his heels. The men were pushing and tearing at each other, trying to get to safety, and he couldn't blame them. This was pure, naked survival. A single wrong step could proof fatal.

Both captain Crozier and Fitzjames were working on creating an exit for the men, this much Alexander could see from his position. He catched glimpses of doctor Goodsir who was trying to keep lady Silence upright. The woman seemed to be unconscious, either from shock or inhaling the heavy smoke wavering through the room, the doctor couldn't tell.

Then the mass of fleeing men closed around them once more and they disappeared.

The smoke made Alexander's eyes water and it got harder and harder to breath. He maneuvered through the room, careful not to step on another human being, when his boots collided with something soft he knew he had failed.

Suddenly fresh air filled his lungs. There were people around him, pushing him forward, out of the burning tent and then they were _free_.

The tent still burned behind the fleeing men. Some stumbled on the ice or had to be carried out of the flames by their fellow crewmates. Now that they made it out of the flames, the men started calling the names of their friends, looking for those who made it out alive.

Alexander vaguely realized that somebody was calling his name but he paid it no attention, he was on a mission.

It wasn't hard to find doctor Stanley again, now that they were out in the open. He was surrounded by at least half a dozen marines, led by a devastated looking sergeant Tozer. "Let me through." He demanded calmly. "I need to see if he's injured."

Tozer's face twisted in disgust. "He tried to kill all of us, who cares if he's hurt? We should throw him back into the flames!" The brunette man snarled. "Yes, what he did was terrible, sergeant, we've lost men tonight, good men, friends, and we will mourn them but he is still Erebus chief surgeon and-" He sighed. "and he is just a man, just like the rest of us. Let me tend to him, he won't kill anyone else, I promise."

For a moment, the doctor thought Tozer wouldn't move, until he nodded slowly and stepped aside to let him pass. Stanley hadn't moved during the entire argument. He was kneeling on the ground between the marines, his face was blank, the only sign of life was his trembling bottom lip. Even his arms hung limp from his body. He seemed almost like a puppet.

"Oh Stephan, what have you done?" Alexander scolded him softly. He was angry, more than angry he was furious, and he was sorry for the unnecessary deaths that had occurred. He had thought the two men would have gotten along fine, even though the Erebus doctor wasn't the easiest person to talk to, Alexander enjoyed his company and was glad to have his expertise.

"I-" Was all he said before the first tear started rolling down his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Shhh." Alexander tried to calm him down. He wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders and pulled him close. The smell of smoke and burned flesh that clung to the doctor was almost enough to make him gag and the front of his costume got drenched in alcohol but for now he chosed to ignore it. "It'll be alright." He whispered as he started to sway ever so slightly.

Tomorrow, when the fire was out and the death had been counted, captain Crozier would decide what to do with the chief surgeon, he would most likely be held as a prisoner onboard Erebus. Maybe even chained, Alexander mused. He would be an outcast amongst the men.

But for now, Alexander choosed not to think about it, he buried his nose in the crock of the other doctors neck and pressed him closer. "It'll be alright." He repeated almost like a mantra.


End file.
